"The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in hills. ~ The Analects

August 28, 2006

The "Zuckat" Survey Guide from China

WELL, the book to the left made its debut in China recently against all odds (so they claimed... so they claimed).

My friend bought it and gave it to me when I visited her in Shanghai. And boy, the RMB19.8 worthiness she put down casually surely was pick up by yours truly with a spellbinding rush of adrenaline and a delirious tidal of endorphins!

Could this, be the Chinese answer to the Zagat Survey? I mean, it rates eateries in the exact same way like its numbers in the States and Europe do (food, decor, service & cost). Plus, over 300,000 multiple viewpoints were collected. Could this be the gastronomic bible that will guide my gullet life in Shanghai as on the button as the Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedang (毛語錄）?

Sadly, pains me to say this, that's something odd in this restaurant guide on closer inspection -- just like every Gucci or Prada purse (or even this one!) you could buy in China for your ex:

Evidence 1: whimsically, the "restaurant" that scores highest for food is a hotel's bakery;Evidence 2: whether a restaurant has "live performance" and "takeaway" also registers;Evidence 3: some famous restaurants are left out "carelessly."

Verdict for all foodies out there: It is a food guide come undone. A book of endless temerity that compares nothing to the geniune article. Don't buy it simply because you think it's nothing to fork out RMB19.8, or to show off how smart you're with simplified Chinese characters...

Comments

The "Zuckat" Survey Guide from China

WELL, the book to the left made its debut in China recently against all odds (so they claimed... so they claimed).

My friend bought it and gave it to me when I visited her in Shanghai. And boy, the RMB19.8 worthiness she put down casually surely was pick up by yours truly with a spellbinding rush of adrenaline and a delirious tidal of endorphins!

Could this, be the Chinese answer to the Zagat Survey? I mean, it rates eateries in the exact same way like its numbers in the States and Europe do (food, decor, service & cost). Plus, over 300,000 multiple viewpoints were collected. Could this be the gastronomic bible that will guide my gullet life in Shanghai as on the button as the Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedang (毛語錄）?

Sadly, pains me to say this, that's something odd in this restaurant guide on closer inspection -- just like every Gucci or Prada purse (or even this one!) you could buy in China for your ex:

Evidence 1: whimsically, the "restaurant" that scores highest for food is a hotel's bakery;Evidence 2: whether a restaurant has "live performance" and "takeaway" also registers;Evidence 3: some famous restaurants are left out "carelessly."

Verdict for all foodies out there: It is a food guide come undone. A book of endless temerity that compares nothing to the geniune article. Don't buy it simply because you think it's nothing to fork out RMB19.8, or to show off how smart you're with simplified Chinese characters...